Modern Football Lexicon

Terminology to add to your vocabulary to help you understand more of the intricacies of today’s game.

Zone 14This is the area just in front of the opposition’s goal. It is here where the magic happens. Most chances created will involve a combination, loss of possession, pass, or shot in this zone of the field.

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Halfspace

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Halfspaces are areas that are not too wide and not too central. They are still central enough for shots, but wide enough for crosses. A switch can be made from a halfspace, and a diagonal can be received in a halfspace.

A player positioned in a halfspace can still play in and see all directions. A wide player can see the whole pitch, but cannot play in all directions, and is thus predictable. A player in a central position can play in all directions, but cannot see in all directions. Possession here provides many options in the best of both worlds.

Attacking, midfield, defensive third.The pitch can be split into three thirds. These thirds are largely relevant to the positions on the field. The defensive third concerns the goal that your team is defending, with the attacking third being at the end of the pitch your team is trying to score goals.

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Second SixIf the penalty area were to be divided into three six yard boxes, the second six, sometimes referred to as the danger area, is the space between the six yard box and penalty spot, 6-12 yards from goal. This is a prime location for aiming crosses. It’s just too far from the goal for the keeper to be entirely confident, and close enough to be deadly for the attack.

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Shooting/Crossing LineShould you shoot or cross? This line that runs diagonally from the post to the corner of the box provides a good guideline.

Knowing this also helps players off the ball know what their runs should be.

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Ball-To-Goal LineThis is the direct line from where the ball is to the goal that is being attacked. Players on the defending team should recover into the line, slide and screen this line, and position themselves in this line to prevent forward passes.

Recovery RunRecovery runs are made by players on the defending side to get themselves in a position back behind the ball, either to defend the advancement of the player with the ball, or to get back into a defensive shape to provide compactness behind the ball.

Reverse PressureApplying reverse pressure to the player on the ball is to chase them from behind. This prevents them from being able to stop, to turn, or to play backwards and bring others into play.

TrackingTracking the runs of players on the attacking team means marking them as they move, and following them as they try to receive the ball. Tracking the run can prevent them from receiving the ball, and can prevent attacking overloads being created.

PressurePressure is the first defender moving into way of the player with the ball, looking to tackle, intercept, block, delay, or steal the ball.

CoverCover is the second defender(s) to move into a positon to help support the press of the first defender, and cover the space that would have been left behind that first defender, preventing overloads and pockets.

BalanceBalance is provided by the remaining defenders moving into a supporting position to the pressure and cover providers. Balance can help block passing lanes, can hold offside lines, can prevent gaps and pockets, prevents overloads, by giving the team horizontal and vertical compactness.

Compactness – Horzitonal and Vertical

Veritcal compactness is the distance between the deepest defender and the highest forward.

Horizontal compactness is the distance between the most extreme left and extreme right players.

Both terms refer to the team out of possession.

Marking – Zonal and Man-to-ManZonal marking consists of the players being responsible for a certain area. Any players or balls within that zone are for that defender to deal with.

Man-to-man marking assigns each defender an attacker to be responsible for, and to ensure that player does not receive the ball.

WidthWidth is the distance from the extreme right to the extreme left of the team in possession. In this picture, the red team has a narrow width, while the blue team has wide horizontal compactness.

The team out of possession should be more narrow than the team in possession. Width is necessary to compete against a team defending narrow

DepthDepth concerns the distance between the most defensive (deepest) and the most attacking (advanced) player on the team in possession.

DispersalDispersal is a team spreading out. It is what should be done by all players in all directions in the moment following a positive transition so that space can be created and exploited.

MovementFollowing the dispersal, if the players that spread out are still unable to receive the ball, then they will need to move into new spaces. This movement can create either space for themselves, or space for a teammate.

SupportSupport is movement specifically to help provide easier passing options to the player on the ball. As an example, the red RM could run to receive a diagonal in behind, but that is a difficult pass and requires a lot of skill from the ball passer.

CreativityCreativity can be both with or without the ball. With the ball, it concerns disguise, moves to beat, first touch, passes. Without the ball, it can be movement and rotation. It is doing something unexpected or unconventional that catches the opposition off-guard by the unpredictability.

PenetratePenetration is the breaking of an opposition line by playing the ball through, over, or around so that it can be received by a teammate in an advanced position.

SwitchSwitching the play is passing the ball horizontally, lofted or along the ground, to a teammate on the opposite side of the field.

RecycleRecycling is passing the ball backwards to a teammate that will allow them to either find another vertical passing option, or to look to switch the ball out to the other side of the field.

Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal PassVertical – Passing the ball forward, making the opponents drop.

Horizontal – Passing the ball sideways, making the opponents slide.

Diagonal – Passing the ball forward and horizontally, making the opponents drop and slide.

GapA gap is a space between two opponents that are level horizontally that allows for a forward pass to be played through along the ground.

PocketA pocket is an area of space between the lines of the opponent. Players can move into these spaces to receive the ball. When defending, players will not wish to be drawn out of position, so an attacker moving into a pocket asks the question; stay or go? Stay and a player receives unmarked, go and the defender leaves space behind them.

StretchAn attacker making runs to receive behind the defence will cause the defence to drop, affecting their vertical compactness, and thus leaving pockets of space between the defence and midfield lines. Stretching the opposition makes it easier to create and expand pockets in order to receive the ball.

Primary, Secondary, Tertiary playersPrimary players concern those directly involved in the play; the ball carrier, maybe the first defender, and maybe the receiver.

Secondary players are those that could provide some influence around the ball.

Tertiary players are players that are away from the ball and provide little influence on the immediate play.

Cover ShadowImagine if the ball was a light and the defending team were casting shadows. That shadow demonstrates the area on the field that they would be covering, screening, blocking, and intercepting at the moment the ball is played.

BlindsideThe blindside is the area of the field that is out of the vision of the defender. Humans have a horizontal range of vision of 114˚. Between 60-70 ˚ of that is covered by only one eye. This means that there are many areas that cannot be seen, or cannot be seen with clarity. Players looking to receive on the blindside may be able to afford themselves extra time and space on the ball.

CombinationA combination is an attacking move consisting of two or more passes. It can have many different components, including a dribble, turn, cross, overlap, switch, and many more. Often played one or two touch with much movement and rotation.

RotationCan happen as part of a set-piece or as part of a phase of play, rotation is the exchange of teammates’ positions, or the filling of space left by moving teammates, by the team in possession. It is done to draw opponents out of position by taking up unconventional positions, and by making unpredictable runs.

In this example, Red LM moves into an attacking position, the CF goes to LM, the CM to RM, and the RM to CF. It has helped to place these players into dangerous positions all the while maintaining possession of the ball.

Up-Back-ThroughA move than can involve two, three, or four players on the same team. The move starts with a vertical pass, then a backwards pass (can be a one-two), often in the form of a set pass, then finishes with another vertical pass which penetrates the defence (through ball).

The first pass (up) can act as a decoy to the defending team, who may move in to press the receiver, thus allowing space behind them for the third pass (through) to be received.

Up-Back-SwitchSimilar to the up-back-through, but the final pass is a diagonal or horizontal. The first and second passes act as triggers for the receiver of the third pass to begin their run to receive the ball.

The up-back can make the opposition close in on one side to press the ball, creating space on the far side to play the ball into.

Pause (La Pausa)A pause is when one player is in possession of the ball, in space, and stands completely still. It acts as a message to move teammates into better supporting positions, without having to carry the ball out of position.

It can also be a false trigger for the opposition to press, as they could be drawn out of position. In this example, three blues go to press the red CB. While that happens, the red RB + LB come short to receive. One pass bypasses the pressing blues, and allows the reds to attack the space left behind them.

HoldSimilar to a pause, but the hold is often back to goal, receiving under pressure. Using strength and body shape to shield the ball, the red CF cannot be disposed. While shielding, the other reds are allowed time to move into better supporting positions.

A player holding the ball may also draw in extra defenders as it appears it takes more than one defender to dispossess this player.

BounceA bounce is a one-touch one-two back to the player that it came from, or to another teammate also within that field of vision. For instance, if the Red CM were to pass to the RB after receiving from the CB, it would also be a bounce pass.

A bounce should be used when there is no opportunity to play forward, and backwards is the only option.

One-TwoSometimes called a wall, the one-two sees two teammates perform two passes to bypass an opponent. The first passer moves into a new space to receive the ball from their teammate, much like kicking a ball against a wall from an angle and moving to receive it further along.

TakeSimilar to a one-two, but instead of a pass back to the original player, the ball is held by the receiver, shielding it from the defender, while the original passer runs over to collect from the holder.

Give and GoImmediately after playing a pass, the passer runs into a new space, either to receive the ball, or to run away a defender. In this example, the Blue RB follows the Red LM, thus creating a huge space on the edge of the box to be exploited.

CollectIn this example the Red CB runs right up to the GK to collect the ball. This can be done from keepers that decide not to distribute long due to lack of options, or because the CB is a very competent passer. The same can be done from corners and free-kicks to restart play quickly and create overloads.

OverlapAn overlap is a teammate running from behind, going around the outside (towards the touchline) to become a passing option in advance of the ball.

UnderlapAn underlap is a teammate running from behind, going around the inside (towards the centre of the field) to become a passing option in advance of the ball.

First, Second, Third Line PassFirst line pass is played in front of the opposition.

Second line pass is played around/to the side of the opposition.

Third line pass is played through/behind the opposition.

RondoA rondo (round) is an exercise, often with no goals or direction, often with an overload, with the purpose of working on possession, pressure, or combinations. No direction and an overload mean that the ball is kept in play for long periods, and that the pictures are always changing. There can be conditions such as one touch, or challenges such as split. The underloaded team can be tasked with keeping the ball, dribbling it out, scoring etc.

Overload/UnderloadAn over or underload concerns an exercise or phase of play where one team holds a distinct type of superiority. In this exercise, the blue team hold a numerical (quantitative) overload over the reds. It is a 4v2 overload from the blue point of view, or a 2v4 underload from the red point of view.

Quantitative, Qualitative, Positional Overload

Quantitative is to have better players on around the ball than the opposition. It could be a 3v3, with one 3 being significantly stronger.

Qualitative is to have more numbers in an area of the field, such as a 4v2 or 2v1.

Positional is to have trapped the opposition into an area of the field where their space and options are limited, such as boxing in at a throw.

Sweeper KeeperA sweeper keeper comes way out of their goal to collect, win, or clear the ball, acting as an extra defender. Speed and bravery is needed to be successful as it is a great way to nullify counter-attacks.

They can also be used as extra players to recycle the ball to. A GK forty yards from goal means the ball can be recycled back into attack much quicker than a GK that is back in their penalty area.

Holding MidfielderA holding or deep-lying midfielder stays close to their team's defence, while other midfielders may move forward to attack. A player in this role will try to protect their goal by disrupting the opponents' attacking moves and stopping long shots on the goal.

The holding midfielder may also have responsibilities when their team has the ball. This player will make mostly short and simple passes to more attacking members of their team but may try some more difficult passes depending on the team's strategy.

False 9The False 9, in some ways similar to a more advanced attacking midfielder/playmaker role, is an unconventional lone striker or centre-forward, who drops deep into midfield. The purpose of this is that it creates a problem for opposing centre-backs who can either follow him, leaving space behind them for onrushing midfielders, forwards or wingers to exploit, or leaving him to have time and space to dribble or pick out a pass.Key attributes for a False 9 are similar to those of a deep-lying striker; dribbling ability to take advantage of space between the lines, good short passing ability to link up with the midfield and vision to play through team-mates making runs from deep to goal.

Inverted WingerA when the position is inverted and a winger instead plays inside-out on the opposite flank (i.e., a right-footed player as a left inverted winger), they effectively become supporting strikers and primarily assume a role in the attack. As opposed to traditionally pulling the opponent's full-back out and down the flanks before crossing the ball in near the by-line, positioning a winger on the opposite side of the field allows him or her to cut-in around the 18-yard box, either threading passes between defenders or taking a shot on goal using his or her dominant foot.[4] This offensive tactic has found popularity in the modern game due to the fact that it gives traditional wingers increased mobility as playmakers

Inverted Full BackThe inverted fullback position is typically used to combat wingers that like to cut inside to get involved in the game. Bucking the trend of staying wide when on the ball, inverted fullbacks will carry the ball into central areas when going forward.

The major benefit of this concept is that players who are able to play this way are often effective in nullifying the threat posed by inverted or false wingers due to their tendency to drift infield. The concept of the inverted fullback is one way of helping the centre midfielders when in possession.

Number 10 (CAM)An attacking midfielder is a midfield player who is positioned in an advanced midfield position, usually between central midfield and the team's forwards, and who has a primarily offensive role. Some attacking midfielders are called trequartistas. A creative playmaker between the forwards and the midfield, some attacking midfielders are very vertical and are essentially auxiliary attackers who serve to link-up play, hold up the ball, or provide the final pass, i.e. secondary striker.According to positioning along the field, attacking midfield may be divided into left, right and central attacking midfield roles. A central attacking midfielder may be referred to as a playmaker, or number ten.

RabonaThe rabona is a method of kicking the football whereby the kicking leg is wrapped around the back of the standing leg, effectively with one's legs crossed.

TrivelaTo kick the ball to either cross or shoot, using the outside of the foot, giving the ball a spin creating a unique curve. People that don’t rely much on their weak foot practice to master this skill.

PannaA nutmeg (tunnel or nut meg), is a playing technique used The aim is to kick, roll, dribble, throw, or push the ball between an opponent's legs.

Panenkathe Panenka is a technique used in penalty kick-taking in which the player, instead of kicking the ball toward the left or right corner of the goal, gives a subtle touch underneath the ball, causing it to rise and fall within the centre of the goal thus deceiving the goalkeeper.The aim of the technique is not to chip the ball over the goalkeeper but to take advantage of the fact that many goalkeepers will dive to either side of the goal in anticipation rather than waiting to see in which direction the ball is going. It is a very risky technique, because the subtle touch on the ball gives it a very slow speed, thus allowing the goalkeeper to move back from where he jumped to or even just stay at the same spot and wait for the ball to easily fall on his hands.

Passing LaneA passing lane is when a gap opens up between the opposition that would allow for a pass to be played, unobstructed, along the ground. Imagine the ball emits a laser. If that laser is able to shine on the feet of a teammate, that presents an open passing lane.

Third Man RunWhile a move is happening between two players, the third man (highlighted) runs into a position to receive the ball. The first man (passer) plays the ball, the second man receives and passes it into space for the third man to run onto, to receive.

SlideA slide is performed by the units on the defending team as they move laterally (horizontally) across the pitch, in response to a horizontal pass by the attacking team.

SqueezeIn response to the opposition passing the ball backwards, the defending team may choose to move their units higher up the field, by squeezing longitudinally (vertically), moving the offside line higher up the pitch.

DropWhen a forward pass is played, or when anticipating a direct aerial ball, the defending team may choose to drop by retreating longitudinally towards their goal to provide more numbers behind the ball, and reduce the space available to the receiver.

First and Second BallFIRST AND SECOND!!! Is a shout commanded by players that are about to compete for an aerial ball. The first refers to the long ball that is about to be fought for. In this example it is the Red CF and Blue CB. The second refers to where the ball goes next, and who can win it, as often the first ball is not a clean take, resulting in the ball bouncing off and needing to be contested again.

Knock-DownThe knock down, if the first ball is not successfully cleared by the defending team, is the ball bouncing off either the forward or the defender (the second ball). If the attacking team wins the knock down, they have successfully gambled on a direct pass and now possess the ball in a more dangerous area.

RestartA restart is any time that the game stops, or the ball is out of play, and the game has to be started again. Examples include free-kick, goal-kick, corner, throw-in, goalkeeper possession. It could be an opportunity to move players into important positions, or to restart quickly and take advantage of a disorganised or distracted defence.

Sole-RollThe sole can be used for trapping, receiving, rolling, and passing. The sole provides a larger surface area than any other part of the foot which allows you to move the ball around whilst still keeping contact with it. The sole is also multi-directional, meaning that upon controlling the ball, the receiver can pass, dribble, or turn in any direction, and only needs one touch to do so.

TriangleA triangle is when two teammates each provide an option to the player on the ball, as well as having a passing lane open between the two potential receivers.

DiamondFour teammates can form a diamond shape when in possession of the ball, offering width, depth, and multiple passing options to the player on the ball, and to the potential receivers. In this example, each of the blues will have two passing options readymade when in possession of the ball.

WThe W shape is made by the team in possession, providing width and depth, created by the back four and one holding midfielder. It can be at goalkeeper’s possession, or with any of the five players involved in the W.

Build-up PlayBuild-up play is how a team may choose to create attacking opportunities. Some teams are more direct, while others are patient. Some may choose to attack centrally, while others will look to go wide, or switch the ball around. Build-up play is usually associated with more patient, possession based teams, that are looking to get their players into more effective positions, while creating gaps in the opposition defence.

Non-EventA non-event in football is where an action does not take place. These happen all the time and are very difficult to record. In this example, the Blue CM tracks the Red CF, and so the CF does not receive the pass. The reds choose to play sideways rather than forwards. This is a successful outcome for the blues, as the forward pass is a non-event. Other examples include not having a shot at goal because the defender was blocking the opportunity to shoot, and so the ball is then passed to a player in a less dangerous position. The shot never happened, and is therefore a non-event.

Draw Them OutIt can be done through a pause or patient passing. When the defending team is playing a low block, it can be hard to find space in their half. Drawing them out attempts to get one or more of the defending team to break rank and lose discipline, and press in a way that is different to their teammates. It’s a trap to spring the press, which can then be easily bypassed.

TriggerA trigger is any action in football that would cause a specific reaction. For example, a trigger to press the ball would be a bad pass, the ball needing to be brought down or controlled, a player receiving facing away from teammates etc. The bad pass would be a trigger for the a defender to move in and try to steal the ball.

Passing OnWhen an attacking player takes up new positions to receive the ball, the players the defending team have the choice to follow or to stay. The attacking player still needs to be tracked or marked, but to do so man-for-man could pull defenders out of position. This is why the defenders pass on the attacker. Each defender takes responsibility for the attacker while in their area. In this example, the Red CF moves horizontally across the front of the Blue defence, engaging the RB, CB, and LB. Each defender passes the CF onto the next defender.

Runs – One for your teammate, one for you

The Red CF makes two runs in this move to receive the ball. The first run takes the Blue CB out of position. The Second run is into the box to get on the end of the cross.

The first run creates the space for the pass to the RM, while creating a pocket of space to break into the box to receive the cross.

Strong Side/Weak SideThe weak or strong side depends on which side of the field the defending team has the majority of their players. In this example, the reds are 4v6 while in possession on their right wing, making it the blues’ strong side. On the other side of the field, the reds would be 3v1, making it the blues’ weak side.

STRONGWEAK

ScanScanning is searching for options, with or without possession. The Red CB on the ball is scanning for players to pass to, while the Red CF is scanning for space, to see where the defenders are, and looking for passing options if he were to receive the ball.